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Provider deliverability · GoDaddy Email (Microsoft 365 resold)

Why is GoDaddy email blocked?

Samuel Chenard

By Samuel Chenard · CEO & Co-Founder, Palisade · Reviewed September 2, 2026

GoDaddy email is usually blocked on the sending side, not the receiving one. GoDaddy resells Microsoft 365, so a mailbox that exceeds Microsoft's outbound limits is restricted and bounces with 550 5.1.8 Access denied, bad outbound sender. A compromised account, a missing or duplicated SPF record, and unsigned DKIM are the next causes.

The 30-second check

Two different things get called a GoDaddy block, and they are fixed in different places. If your own mail bounces back with a bad outbound sender error, GoDaddy has blocked the mailbox and the fix is in your Email & Office Dashboard. If recipients reject or junk your mail instead, the problem is the authentication published on your domain. The free Microsoft compliance checker settles which one you are looking at in about thirty seconds.

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Enter your sending domain and the check runs instantly on the next page. Free, no signup.

Why GoDaddy Email is blocking your email

Likely causeWhat's happening
The mailbox exceeded GoDaddy's sending limits and was blockedThis is the common one, and it is unmistakable in the bounce. GoDaddy documents it as: "If an email you're trying to send bounces with a Bad Outbound Sender error message, the account is blocked because it exceeded the sending limits", and notes that these errors "include '550 5.1.8 Access denied, bad outbound sender' in the bounce message". The mailbox can still receive mail while blocked, which is why the block often goes unnoticed until a reply never arrives.
The account is compromised and is sending spam under your nameMicrosoft treats exceeding the outbound limits as a symptom rather than the disease: "A sender exceeding the outbound email limits is an indicator of a compromised account." GoDaddy's unblock flow asks the same question, offering phishing, malware, "I don't know" and "Other" as reasons the account was compromised. Unblocking without securing the mailbox just restarts the clock.
You are pushing bulk mail through a mailbox built for one-to-one emailGoDaddy publishes the ceilings: outgoing message rate is "30 messages per minute, 10,000 messages per 24 hours (increases based on number of licenses)", with "500 recipients per message". A newsletter sent from a shared mailbox meets those numbers quickly. The limits are not a deliverability setting, they are a hard cap, and hitting them produces the block above rather than a slowdown.
The SPF record is missing, duplicated, or wrong for your GoDaddy productGoDaddy is explicit about the consequence: "Your domain can only have one SPF record. If multiple SPF records are found on your domain or if the SPF record is not added correctly, your email might not be delivered." For Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy or Professional Email the value is `v=spf1 include:secureserver.net -all`, and it differs if you have the Advanced Email Security add-on. GoDaddy adds the record for you only when the domain, DNS and email all sit in the same GoDaddy account.
DKIM was never enabled in the Microsoft 365 Defender portalGoDaddy's DKIM setup runs through Microsoft, not through GoDaddy: create the keys in the Defender portal, publish the two CNAME records they generate, then turn on the "Sign messages for this domain with DKIM signatures" toggle. Skipping the last step is common, because the DNS records look done. GoDaddy also notes Microsoft sets DKIM up automatically only for the initial onmicrosoft.com domain, so each custom domain needs the process repeated.
DMARC is missing, or was published before SPF and DKIM workedGoDaddy states the order as a requirement: "Before you can add DMARC to your domain, you must add SPF and enable DKIM." A DMARC record published over broken authentication does not protect anything, and at `p=quarantine` (the policy GoDaddy's own steps use) it starts sending your legitimate mail to junk at every receiver that honours it.
A Titan-powered Professional Email domain bought before April 2025GoDaddy sells two different email products, and they are not authenticated the same way. For Professional Email powered by Titan, GoDaddy says DKIM and DMARC "are already set up for domains purchased after April 2025", and that it will "eventually add both to domains purchased before that date". If your domain predates that cutoff, the records you are looking for may simply not exist yet.

Check the public signals before changing settings

Check Microsoft sender compliance gives you a fast public-DNS baseline. It does not replace the provider's private reputation or placement data, but it tells you whether an authentication problem is visible before you edit a sending platform.

Palisade Email Security Score result showing public DMARC, SPF, DKIM, MX, and reputation checks for a non-sensitive test domain.
Source: Palisade, “Email Security Score”, checked 2026-07-29. First-party public tool result for a non-sensitive test domain; it checks public DNS and reputation signals, not private mailbox placement.

How to fix it, step by step

  1. Run the Microsoft compliance check on your sending domain

    Use the free checker above (or at /tools/microsoft-compliance-checker). It reads SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the domain your GoDaddy mailboxes send as, which separates a GoDaddy-side account block from a recipient-side authentication rejection before you touch either.

  2. Read the bounce and identify which block you have

    A bad outbound sender error means GoDaddy has blocked the mailbox. Microsoft's version of the same NDR reads: "Your message couldn't be delivered because you weren't recognized as a valid sender. The most common reason for this is that your email address is suspected of sending spam and it's no longer allowed to send email." Anything else in the bounce points at the recipient's filters instead.

  3. Secure the mailbox before you unblock it

    Reset the password, turn on multi-factor authentication, clear the outbox, and check for forwarding rules you did not create. Microsoft's guidance is to regain control of the account first, because the outbound limit was almost certainly hit by something other than the person who owns the mailbox.

  4. Unblock the address in the Email & Office Dashboard

    Sign in, select Admin (or Microsoft 365 Admin) and then Unblock Email, choose Bad Outbound Sender as the bounce type, give the date range and the affected address, and submit one address at a time. GoDaddy says it will unblock automatically, "but it could take up to 24 hours before you can start sending messages again". Admins with several blocked users can unblock through Microsoft instead.

  5. Publish exactly one correct SPF record

    Use v=spf1 include:secureserver.net -all for Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy or Professional Email, or the value shown in your Email & Office Dashboard if you have Advanced Email Security. Merge every other sending service into that same record rather than adding a second one, and verify at /tools/spf.

  6. Create the DKIM keys in Defender, publish them, then enable signing

    Generate the keys in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, add both CNAME records in your DNS, and go back to turn signing on. Repeat for every custom domain in the tenant. Confirm the published key at /tools/dkim and the live signature at /tools/email-header-analyzer.

  7. Add DMARC once SPF and DKIM both pass, then move it up deliberately

    Publish a _dmarc TXT record with a reporting address you actually read. Start at p=none and use the aggregate reports to find every service sending as your domain, then move to quarantine and reject once they all align. GoDaddy's own steps jump straight to p=quarantine, which is safe only if you already know what is sending.

  8. Move bulk mail off the mailbox entirely

    Newsletters and automated notifications belong on a sending platform with its own reputation and its own unsubscribe handling, not on a 500-recipient mailbox. That removes the cause of the outbound block instead of clearing it once a month.

Related free tools: DMARC checker · SPF checker · DKIM checker · Email header analyzer

If you send in volume: GoDaddy Email's published rules

GoDaddy is not a mailbox provider making receiving-side rules, but it does publish hard sending limits, and they are what most GoDaddy blocks come down to. For Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy accounts: outgoing message rate of "30 messages per minute, 10,000 messages per 24 hours (increases based on number of licenses)", "500 recipients per message", an incoming rate of "3600 per hour", and "35 MB per sent message and 36 MB per received message". Exceed the outgoing rate and the account is blocked rather than throttled, and Microsoft adds the mailbox to its Restricted entities page, where a "restricted entity is a user account or a connector that's blocked from sending email due to indications of compromise". Microsoft says that after an admin unblocks, "Under most circumstances, all restrictions should be removed from the user within one hour. Transient technical issues might cause a longer wait time, but the total wait should be no longer than 24 hours." GoDaddy and Microsoft documentation checked 2026-09-02.

Check your standing with GoDaddy Email

Bounce codes you may be seeing

Blocks in this cluster surface as specific SMTP codes. Match yours below; the linked guides cover each code's verbatim provider messages and full fix.

The real root cause: unenforced authentication

A GoDaddy block and a recipient rejection feel identical from the sender's chair, and treating them as one problem is why people clear the same block every month. The outbound block is a symptom of volume or compromise, and the unblock button addresses neither. The rejections are a symptom of authentication that is missing, misaligned, or unenforced on the domain itself. Both trace back to the same question: who is allowed to send as your domain, and can a receiver tell? SPF with a single correct record, DKIM actually signing in the Defender portal, and a DMARC record that starts by observing rather than enforcing are the answer to that question. Aggregate reports name every service sending as you, including whatever is filling the compromised mailbox's outbox. Once each legitimate sender is authenticated and aligned, walking the policy from p=none to p=reject stops impostor mail at the receiver, which is the only version of this that stays fixed.

DMARC software that does the work

Palisade's AI agent takes domains all the way to enforcement: hosted SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MTA-STS records on paid plans, DMARC reports monitored continuously, and every policy step drafted for your approval on the way to p=reject. The Free plan covers one domain and up to 1,000 emails per month, and the agent names every problem it finds there; applying the agent's fixes needs a paid plan, and the full product is open for a 15-day trial.

Get startedBook a demo

1 domain free up to 1,000 emails/month

Fixing this across every client domain

GoDaddy tenants are a familiar shape in an MSP portfolio: bought by the client years before you arrived, DNS and email in the same GoDaddy account, SPF auto-created and then quietly broken by the third marketing tool, DKIM never enabled because it lives in a Microsoft portal nobody signed into. Palisade gives you the portfolio view instead of a per-client scavenger hunt: hosted and managed SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MTA-STS records for every client domain, aggregate reports read for you so each sender is named rather than guessed at, and a path to p=reject with your team approving each change. Native ConnectWise, HaloPSA, and Autotask integrations put it in your PSA, pricing is per client domain with rates that improve as the portfolio grows, and your own MSP domain is a free NFR domain to prove the process on first.

Questions readers ask

Frequently asked questions

What does bad outbound sender mean on GoDaddy email?

Bad outbound sender means GoDaddy has blocked the mailbox from sending because it exceeded the sending limits. The bounce carries 550 5.1.8 Access denied, bad outbound sender. The account can still receive mail while blocked, which is why the block is often noticed only when a reply never comes back.

How do I unblock a GoDaddy email account?

Sign in to your Email and Office Dashboard, select Admin and then Unblock Email, choose Bad Outbound Sender as the bounce type, enter the date range and the affected address, and submit. GoDaddy unblocks automatically, but says it could take up to 24 hours before you can send again.

What are GoDaddy's email sending limits?

GoDaddy publishes an outgoing message rate of 30 messages per minute and 10,000 messages per 24 hours, which increases based on the number of licenses, plus a cap of 500 recipients per message. Incoming is limited to 3600 messages per hour. Exceeding the outgoing rate blocks the mailbox rather than slowing it down.

Is GoDaddy email the same as Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy is Exchange Online sold and administered through GoDaddy, so the underlying restriction and the 550 5.1.8 bounce come from Microsoft. GoDaddy also sells Professional Email powered by Titan, which is a separate product with different authentication defaults. Check which one you have before following any guide.

What SPF record does GoDaddy email need?

For Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy or Professional Email the value is v=spf1 include:secureserver.net -all. If you use the Advanced Email Security add-on, check the value in your Email and Office Dashboard instead. Your domain can only have one SPF record, so merge other sending services into it rather than adding a second.

How do I set up DKIM for GoDaddy email?

DKIM for Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy is created in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, not in GoDaddy. Generate the keys, publish the two CNAME records in your DNS, then return to the portal and turn on the signing toggle. Repeat for every custom domain, since Microsoft only automates the onmicrosoft.com one.

Why is my GoDaddy email going to spam instead of bouncing?

Spam placement is a recipient-side verdict, not a GoDaddy block, so nothing in your dashboard will show it. It usually means SPF or DKIM is not passing and aligned with your From domain. Fix the records on your domain, then confirm with real message headers rather than with a test send to yourself.

Does GoDaddy add DMARC automatically?

Not for Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy, where you add the record yourself and GoDaddy requires SPF and DKIM to be working first. For Professional Email powered by Titan, GoDaddy says DKIM and DMARC are already set up for domains purchased after April 2025, and that older domains will get them later.

Sources and last verified

Every GoDaddy Email fact on this page is drawn from that provider's own documentation, last checked 2026-09-02. Provider policies change; if a detail looks off, the linked source is authoritative.

Related guides

Why is Microsoft 365 blocking outbound emails?Why is Outlook blocking my emails?Why is Microsoft blocking my automated emails?What does the X-Microsoft-Antispam message-info header mean?Why are my emails being blocked?550 5.7.509550 5.7.26550 5.7.1include:-all vs ~allp=quarantine
Email deliverability, fixed: the full guide